tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post7429571786100643799..comments2015-03-03T12:01:48.088-05:00Comments on Lovely Bicycle!: Changing Notions of the Winter Road Bike Velouriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-54766476501838184032014-09-23T11:14:23.292-04:002014-09-23T11:14:23.292-04:00Very late to this thread but as I&#39;m from North...Very late to this thread but as I&#39;m from Northern Ireland I thought, why not comment as we are once more in the mouth of winter....<br />It is certainly true that winter bikes are no longer the &#39;norm&#39; and why would they be? When cyclists pay thousands for their pride and joy they want to wring every last drop of enjoyment from it, even to the detriment of clogged components and winter salt. Let me put it this way, on a cold, wet, miserable morning would you want to mount an aging decrepit steed that will grind the enjoyment out of cycling or would you rather slip onto your technology enhanced race machine, built for speed and comfort that effortlessly brings a smile to the lips? <br />However, join a club for a swift Sunday ride without fenders and you shall be ridiculed to the point of getting home, ordering your shinny new fenders online there and then if not sooner. The thing you have to realized is that fenders are not used for rain in this part of the world otherwise we would be using them 365 days a year, rather to stop the &#39;slurry&#39; from entering a gaping mouth as you follow your fellow club member down some rural descent and of course and to a certain extent to protect those luxury winter clothing items you&#39;ve just spent a mortgage on. I can only assume the photo you posted that caused such a debate was taken pre-winter slurry or perhaps and as you&#39;ve alluded to, newbies to the sport...Dean - Velo Club Iveaghhttp://www.vciveagh.co.uk/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-21386818181848928992014-02-01T12:41:11.861-05:002014-02-01T12:41:11.861-05:00I have yet to try a NuVinci hub, hoping to when I&...I have yet to try a NuVinci hub, hoping to when I&#39;m back in Boston this springVelouriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-4722159346148484122014-01-29T09:11:19.108-05:002014-01-29T09:11:19.108-05:00You had me at &quot;winter slut&quot;You had me at &quot;winter slut&quot;Velouriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-44797254444497486142014-01-29T08:39:39.870-05:002014-01-29T08:39:39.870-05:00Here in northwest Germany the traditional &quot;Wi...Here in northwest Germany the traditional &quot;Winterschlampe&quot; bike (difficult to translate, &quot;winter slut&quot; doesn&#39;t quite nail it) is still in fashion as far as I can tell. <br /><br /><a href="http://mark793.blogger.de/static/antville/mark793/images/01010849.jpg" rel="nofollow">And here is mine</a>. High visibility rules. <br /><br />mark793http://mark793.blogger.denoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-85217925967482651472014-01-28T21:14:47.491-05:002014-01-28T21:14:47.491-05:00HAH! The reason I had one built is I already have ...HAH! The reason I had one built is I already have a houseful of antiques. I thought it would be nice to have a nice fresh one with clean threads, undinged chainstays and a headtube you have to actually press the cups into instead of just dropping them in. The unthreaded steerer was going to let me put a rotary switch in the top for lights. Now I&#39;m going to silver solder a 7/8&quot; tube in it, use a smaller switch and make a sexy brazed up stem to fit. It&#39;s going to end up just fine but it wasn&#39;t supposed to need all that.<br /><br />The old racebike I rode for the last 25 or so years was 7 or 8 years old when I got it and if I was still bendy enough to assume the position I&#39;d still be on it. I should have taken the 70&#39; Paramount off the studio wall and thrown some nice parts on it. Next time... <br /><br />Old headsets look so much nicer anyway, why am I complaining?<br /><br />SpindizzyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-9071116566966364922014-01-28T11:31:29.733-05:002014-01-28T11:31:29.733-05:00Considering the state of my roadbike after 2 years...Considering the state of my roadbike after 2 years of all-weather cycling, I don&#39;t see how regular wear and tear could possibly lead to its demise any time soon. And while my bike is a custom Ti machine, in fairness I think the same can be said of most decent off-the-shelf modern road-race bikes. Certainly there are those who enjoy the latest thing and will replace their bike every 2 years with a new model. But I think this mindset is independent of what style of bike it is and of whether it gets ridden year-round. Velouriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-45700429615505279492014-01-28T10:51:41.665-05:002014-01-28T10:51:41.665-05:00It makes me sad to think that anyone has this mind...It makes me sad to think that anyone has this mindset, either due to personal experience or cultural influence. A bicycle should be one of the few things we can count on to last for decades; being upgraded, maybe, but certainly not replaced every &quot;year or two&quot;. And the day that bicycle manufacturers *actually* incorporate planned obsolescence is the day that I hope to never see.Jake Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16916475081711086964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-69049480894090640652014-01-27T22:00:41.973-05:002014-01-27T22:00:41.973-05:00Meanwhile, in the US more and more people (but sti...Meanwhile, in the US more and more people (but still not a lot) are buying bikes that can accommodate permanent fenders. <br /><br />Ti resists corrosion but aluminum components don&#39;t. Wash liberally.<br /><br />New England Bicyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16609454624593868118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-29233088760738989312014-01-27T16:51:59.075-05:002014-01-27T16:51:59.075-05:00Given either anticipation of planned obsolescence ...Given either anticipation of planned obsolescence or just an understanding that you&#39;re going to be buying a new bike in a year or two anyway, it&#39;s easy to understand riding your &quot;good&quot; bike all the time. If it&#39;s so good, then enjoy it and maximize your saddle time on it.<br /><br />As for fenders, I guess some sacrifices need to be made if it&#39;s your good bike. Components possibly being one of the sacrifices.<br /><br />Regarding fenders and brake clearance, why am I reminded of Grand Petersen and his bike sensibilities?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-83585731407865249022014-01-27T16:32:21.895-05:002014-01-27T16:32:21.895-05:00Dear Velouria,
I&#39;ve no &quot;rain bike&quot;....Dear Velouria,<br /><br />I&#39;ve no &quot;rain bike&quot;. The machine that sees the majority of my time and mileage has integrated fenders, lights, and a front rack, and certainly isn&#39;t a performance limiter for my purposes (club rides to grand randonnées, commuting, and nontechnical offroad riding). Fenders sure make pacelining in the rain a whole lot more fun.<br /><br />I do have a summer day-ride bike that doubles as my road-racing and CX machine. It doesn&#39;t have fenders. <br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Will<br />William M. deRosset<br />Fort Collins, COWMdeRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531125254328045995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-46815040812381928002014-01-27T16:19:56.129-05:002014-01-27T16:19:56.129-05:00Here in Minnesota a winter bike with mud guards, s...Here in Minnesota a winter bike with mud guards, studded tires, aluminum frame, hub generator lighting... is a necessity. The plows can&#39;t get all the snow and ice abounds. At -20 the only bike in our fleet that would shift was the NuVinci on the winter bike. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-89585593846760761392014-01-27T14:30:35.021-05:002014-01-27T14:30:35.021-05:00GeeWhiz Spin, the first three customs I ordered ju...GeeWhiz Spin, the first three customs I ordered just never appeared at all. So when #4 actually arrived I was willing to look on the bright side. If you even know what a 1&quot; threaded headset is you are as crusty as me. Do what I do and buy antiques. When you buy a bike that&#39;s had paint on it for 30 or 50 years you know what color it is. Old frames by The Masters are no longer thousands of dollars, it&#39;s a couple hundred and make me an offer, please.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-33157444072094065822014-01-27T14:10:22.762-05:002014-01-27T14:10:22.762-05:00I&#39;m known as the &quot;Fender Nazi&quot;. In ...I&#39;m known as the &quot;Fender Nazi&quot;. In our group rides the fender-less and those without mud flaps are relegated to the back of the line. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-57585339488675419942014-01-27T14:08:28.086-05:002014-01-27T14:08:28.086-05:00I would join the club in the photo in a heartbeat....I would join the club in the photo in a heartbeat. Seven riders show pretty clearly and they all have decent posture on the bike. They look comfortable and in control. That&#39;s the good old days right there. It&#39;s been ten years or more since I had a local ride without constant fear of the next crash.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-72213870408766071922014-01-27T11:11:26.031-05:002014-01-27T11:11:26.031-05:00Rain Bike / Winta Bike, NYC
As I have been feelin...Rain Bike / Winta Bike, NYC<br /><br />As I have been feeling my mortality here and there, I have left NYC icy roads for the train and &#39;Spress Bus til it gets &quot;easier&quot;.<br /><br />I was using a hard tail Cannondale MTB for bad weather. Small downtube attached &#39;guard and a rear rack wih the cut up remains of a black protein powder container as a rear (hey, I do recycle!). Was ok for the stripe up the back but I still wanted the road bike too. <br /><br />I came across a pair of red metallic Bluemel All Rounders. I haven&#39;t seen the coloUr before or since. Got the first thing I thought they&#39;d fit, a Peugeot PA10 or PR 10 in ... red metallic. Ahh the French sizing! It ended up being a total Frankenbike as I wanted a 9 speed. No Ultegra BB in French (actually Swiss thread). <br /><br />The bike should be in the U.N. - Peugeot 531 main tubes frame, Stronglight 105 48-38 double crank, Campag NR Front Derailleur, Shimano 9 sp chain, cassette, rear derailleur, Campag 9 speed brifters, NR long reach nutted brakes, Belleri Stem and Bars, Stronglight headset, Mavic CXP 21 rims (red), MKS BM-7 pedals (red), SR 26.6 seatpost and of course the Bluemels. <br /><br />The drillium chainrings come in handy as I could put little screws in there to keep the chain from falling between the chainrings and I can&#39;t use the 12 tooth cog due to chain interference. Just because I should maybe didn&#39;t mean I should but it&#39;s uber comfy and great in the rain ... and it&#39;s RED!<br /><br />vskAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-32057497909684023692014-01-27T09:53:12.185-05:002014-01-27T09:53:12.185-05:00I would not ride in a group ride that had that man...I would not ride in a group ride that had that many people riding without fenders in the rain. Just too much water being sprayed everywhere. Uncomfortable, messy, and annoying<br /><br />I guess that is why I bought a Rivendell Roadeo. Ryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-21715131111724322302014-01-27T08:14:35.145-05:002014-01-27T08:14:35.145-05:00No mater what the frame material, good components ...No mater what the frame material, good components get ruined with bad road conditions. Parts freeze up with rust and sometimestake hours to remove. Everyone I ride with has ruined at least one good bike with bad road conditions. This will be my 40th year of riding through the winter. I dont ride anything when the salt hits the road that I cant afford to throw away. That being said, the road salt here in New England is worse then it was at any other time of my cycling life. When it finally rains, its looks like rivers of milk flowing down the edge of the road.Scott R Chamberlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12450257923259920565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-44668540661833753622014-01-26T21:10:14.229-05:002014-01-26T21:10:14.229-05:00This is a most distressing post for me. I&#39;m no...This is a most distressing post for me. I&#39;m not sure if I was a little wee anglophile before I first learned to ride a bike, but if not, it wasn&#39;t long after. All those bits of Brit cycling lore and tradition that I came across growing up helped shape the whole romantic ideal of what cycling is about for me. That picture you posted could be one of our group rides, AND WER&#39;E IDIOTS!<br /><br /> This just can&#39;t be. Over there it&#39;s all sposed&#39; to be steel bikes brazed up under a railway arch by rail-thin, chainsmoking ex-RAF mechs. or alcoholic Vegetarian Communists, and everybody&#39;s supposed to be wearing jerseys made by their Mothers out of woolen underwear and riding fixedgears with mudguards. <br /><br />Why should we Americans continue to ride half centuries on our $7,000 plastic bikes, concealed weapons under our lycra, vomiting Gatorade and Powerbars at the top every climb if they&#39;re not going to hold up their end of the bargain? Have the Italians given up white leather hairnets and action hero 5 O&#39;clock shadow? Have the French forsaken stripey jerseys and dangling cigarettes in the peloton? Of course not. <br /><br />What the hell is going on over there?<br /><br />Spindizzy<br /><br /> <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-91408456168102663452014-01-26T20:34:48.124-05:002014-01-26T20:34:48.124-05:00and since the pros ride 25s and even 28s madones. ...and since the pros ride 25s and even 28s madones. colnagos, kestrels, tarmacs, and super6s have increased clearance, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-1095804712931165802014-01-26T20:13:54.118-05:002014-01-26T20:13:54.118-05:00I got my first custom frame built last year, and w...I got my first custom frame built last year, and while they built in the correct clearance for the 28s and fenders, they built it with the wrong steerer(1&quot; threaded instead of 1 1/8&quot; un) and purple instead of dark blue. Then refused to answer any E-mails or letters about the problems. It&#39;s a great bike but I can just about look at it now without wanting to get on a plane and wrap it around somebodies neck. GRrrrrr... I&#39;m feelin&#39; your pain.<br /><br />SpindizzyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-38673255273076740782014-01-26T17:35:45.130-05:002014-01-26T17:35:45.130-05:00On a foul day like today on the lanes of Cheshire ...On a foul day like today on the lanes of Cheshire the old school &#39;winter road bike brigade&#39; were the only people out.<br /><br />I did a 50 miler around Knutsford, Congleton and Alderley Edge this afternoon and I only saw about 20 other cyclists. Mudguards are definitely in.<br /><br /><br /><br />petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09988347024466013018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-38851055222183758962014-01-26T16:17:23.105-05:002014-01-26T16:17:23.105-05:00I used to… but I&#39;m finding that this year I us... I used to… but I&#39;m finding that this year I use my so called road bike as my everything bike. It was supposed to be my nice days, out for long fun rides, group rides, club rides etc. bike. I don&#39;t know if it&#39;s just that I have developed such a crush on my Bianchi or what, but it really has become my all the time bike. And at the beginning of this fall I did put fenders on it thinking that come spring I would take them back off, but you know, I probably won&#39;t. Why bother? I don&#39;t notice them, and lord knows I couldn&#39;t care less what the other cyclists around here think (actually they seem to enjoy my anachronistic ways…) Since it&#39;s a steel frame the addition of fenders help it in the nasty weather. Maybe one day if I ever buy a new road bike made of something not steel then I might leave it fender less. *Shrug* I could go either way then. Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236210810344032312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-47826293569191069622014-01-26T15:17:08.296-05:002014-01-26T15:17:08.296-05:00Both of those frames were built by nice guys with ...Both of those frames were built by nice guys with decades of building experience. Unquestioned integrity. Both offered adjustments, which I declined because I was not convinced it would be any better the second time. And they were good frames. The builders knew I was a little fast, knew I would build the bike Campy, knew I had older bikes with fenders, simply could not imagine I would really ride a fast bike fendered.<br /><br />Try this thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-880319.html<br />Engineering and advertising invested and still they think only extreme outliers will actually install the fenders. And the outliers will be happy enough with kludges and limitations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-56214459119650149032014-01-26T04:23:29.394-05:002014-01-26T04:23:29.394-05:00A herd of riders with fenderless bicycles in slopp...A herd of riders with fenderless bicycles in sloppy winter season, following the head, IMO it&#39;s not a cup of tea.<br />I prefer by far having time to take a photo, looking to landscape or exploring cross lanes: my randonneur for instance is suitable.<br />Possibly, it&#39;s easy to appreciate wet wild journey because at the end, reward is at home with all modern conveniences like warm shower and washing machine?<br />L.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-34885315853863003732014-01-25T22:27:22.495-05:002014-01-25T22:27:22.495-05:00I got a custom lightweight steel bike built by a l...I got a custom lightweight steel bike built by a local builder here in Australia 2 years back.<br />My brief was modern (semi-compact) road geometry that could take a 28mm tyre with fenders and mid-reach (57mm) brakes.<br />He nailed it, and I leave the SKS fenders on year-round now. Sure, there&#39;s a slight weight penalty over a carbon bike, but I&#39;ve hung with the fast boys on group rides without problem (apart from my legs of course).<br />It must&#39;ve been horrible to get your bike back the builder just hasn&#39;t understood what you want. I would&#39;ve been gutted.<br />Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352066702581072497noreply@blogger.com